N Lee & Son were appointed to renew the lead roof to the Muniment Tower at Magdalen College, Oxford. The tower takes its name from the muniments, the college’s historic deeds and records, and like the rest of Magdalen it sits in one of the most sensitive historic settings in the city. The old lead had reached the end of its life, so the roof was stripped back to the structure and recovered in new milled lead, finished to sit naturally within the stone parapets and pinnacles around it.
Scope of works
- Careful stripping and removal of the existing lead coverings
- Gutters cleared back to the structure, with new timber fitted to the gutter beds
- A new boarded timber deck laid across the full roof area
- New milled lead laid in bays across the roof, with rolls to the joints running with the fall and drips across it
- Lead dressed up to and into the surrounding stone parapets and abutments
- All works carried out within a fully scaffolded and sheeted enclosure
Stripping back the old roof
The existing lead had done its job for many years but was now worn and tired. It was lifted bay by bay and taken off the roof, with care taken around the carved stonework of the parapets, which is as much a part of the building’s history as the roof itself.
With the old coverings gone, the gutters were opened up and cleared right back to the structure. This let us see the condition of what lay beneath and put right anything that would have shortened the life of the new roof.
A new deck and gutters
A lead roof is only as good as the surface it is laid on. New timber was fitted to the gutter beds so they carry water away cleanly, and a new boarded deck was laid across the whole roof to give the lead a flat, sound and even base. Getting this stage right is what allows the lead to lie flat, move freely and stay watertight for decades.
Laying the new lead
The new lead was laid in bays, with each sheet sized so it is free to expand and contract with changes in temperature rather than being held tight and splitting over time. Each bay is fixed at its head and left free at its lower edge, so movement is taken up at the joints rather than through the sheet.
The joints running with the fall are formed over rolls, dressed by hand on site, with drips stepping down across the fall to carry water over each joint. The result is the clean, regular pattern of rolls and drips you can see in the finished roof, the same traditional method that has kept Oxford’s college roofs watertight for centuries.
Working on a historic college
Magdalen is a working college, so the job was planned to keep disruption to a minimum. Working inside a fully scaffolded and sheeted enclosure kept the roof dry while it was open and protected the stonework and the spaces below throughout.
The result
The Muniment Tower now has a sound new lead roof that sits quietly among the stone parapets and pinnacles, with crisp roll lines across every bay. Laid in the traditional way, it is built to protect this part of the college for generations to come. We are proud to have played a part in looking after one of Oxford’s most remarkable buildings.
